1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of catering apparatus, and in particular, to a rugged, one-piece, portable, collapsible, insulating chafing dish frame with integral wind screen applicable for elegant formal events and to the associated chafing dish assembly incorporating the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Food catering services often serve the prepared foods from a buffet line from one or more chafing dish units or assemblies which are typically comprised of a frame for holding a water pan, aka double-boiler pan, and for positioning a heat source under the water pan. The water pan is partially filled with water and a serving chafing dish is nested within it. The serving dish itself may also be provided with a cover. In this manner, heat from the heat source, typically a candle or a fuel can, such as manufactured under the STERNO® mark, is used to transfer heat to the water in the water pan from whence it is transferred through vapor convection to the serving pan and the food therein.
The chafing dishes in catering service generally have a limited life due to repeated or rough handling. This is particularly the case in the application of mobile catering where the chafing dishes must be transferred from a storage space in the catering kitchen, to the catering truck, transported to the catering site and then set up on the buffet table at the catering site. After the catering service is rendered, the process is reversed. Repeated rough handling in this type of environment eventually results in damage to the chafing dish.
In the case where the chafing dish has been made portable by having collapsible design so that storage of multiple chafing dishes within the limited space of the catering truck is facilitated, the design which permits portability generally compromises its structural rigidity and robustness. Therefore, many portable and collapsible chafing dish designs have even a more limited life time in catering applications than the more bulky and non-collapsible rigid chafing dishes. For this reason, as a practical matter collapsible chafing dish units have not been widely adopted in the industry.
Several types of collapsible chafing dishes or cooking implements have been proposed in the Patent literature. U.S. Pat. No. 1,261,566 shows a baking pan having a bottom with an up-standing side and end flanges, side walls and end walls. Each wall has a lower end which is hinged to the respective side. In addition, and hinged flange and latch are pivotally connected to a flange, seen in FIG. 1 of the '566 patent, of each end wall. Latch is received by a loop in each side wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,714,379, which is incorporated herein by reference, shows a baking pan having a bottom each side of which is provided with a cylindrical roll, side walls and end walls. Each side has a lower end provided with a U-shaped extension which is adapted to be received within roll so that each side wall and end wall is hinged to bottom. The ends of side walls and rolled about a reinforcing wire, seen in FIG. 2 of the '379 patent, while ends of end walls are shaped to provide a cylindrical rolled extension which receive the rolled ends of side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,966, which is incorporated herein by reference, shows a baking pan which is comprised of base and four sides, each of which are hinged by hinges to a base. The hinges include fold out support as shown in side view in FIG. 4 of the '966 patent and in prospective view in FIG. 3 of the '966 patent. Each support includes a laterally extending member having a hinged upstanding member which holds sides in place when the sides are in a closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,298, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a portable “grill stand” (or chafing dish frame) formed from a single piece of folded and partially glued material which has four side panels, each of which intersects in a leg portion, and all inter-fitting to form a generally isosceles trapezoidal cross-section. The upper edge portion of the stand is proportioned to receive and support a pan with an overlying grid portion having self-contained ignitable cooking material such as charcoal held in place by wax. Portholes are provided in the side panels to provide for cooling, and a large aperture is provided in the base of the stand for cooling purposes. In addition, the longitudinal edges of the side panels are scalloped to provide for point contact and maximum cooling along the support. The lower portion of the side panels are reversely folded to define a double thickness, and the end portions are duplicated to define a double thickness at the four corner legs. Double thickness is further defined at the upper edge of the end panels where they are reversely folded inwardly and interlocked by means of a flap engaging a crescent-shaped slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,486, which is incorporated herein by reference, shows a cooking utensil comprising a bottom pan, and inner pan which fits into bottom pan. A space is provided between the walls of inner pan and the opposing walls of bottom pan. A cover for bottom pan and inner pan is also provided. Inner pan includes a perforated bottom, perforated opposing side walls and perforated opposing end walls. Handles are attached to side walls. End walls are hinged at the lower corners to the side walls by pivot pins. The open configuration of pan is illustrated in FIG. 4 of the '486 patent. The '486 patent shows a nested set of pans with covers that included at least one foldable side on one of the pans.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,903, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a chafing dish assembly comprising a lid, a food pan coverable by the lid, a water pan into which the food pan nests, and a collapsible stand into which the water pan nests. The collapsible stand is comprised of four sides forming a rectangular structure. Each adjacent side is coupled together by element of a flatly folding hinge. A structural element is provided for temporarily rendering the collapsible stand rigid. In the preferred embodiment, this element is a tray for holding and positioning the burners. As a result, a rugged, easily stored, collapsible chafing dish assembly is provided. The hinge between each of the sides of the stand is integrally formed with each side. The stand has two opposing lateral sides and two opposing end sides. The lateral sides are provided with a plurality of apertures defined there through to promote air draft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,406, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a collapsible and nest-able steam table comprises a foldable frame, at least one tray and a foldable top section capable of receiving and storing both the frame and the at least one tray. The frame has a front plate, a rear plate and a pair of folding end plates pivotally mounted thereto to collapse the frame. The at least one tray is removably disposed within the frame to prevent the end plates from folding toward each other while the steam table is in use. The top member comprises C-shaped first and second shells each having an extension member and a first arm, a second arm and a third arm extending outwardly there from. The first, second and third arms of the first shell are respectively pivotally mounted to the first, second and third arms of the second shell. Each arm has protrusions and tabs extending outwardly there from, and the protrusions and tabs of a given arm are spaced-apart a sufficient distance to removably receive the frame and the at least one tray. The frame and the at least one tray are placeable between the protrusions and tabs and secured within the top member by pivoting the first and second shells into contact with each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,033, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a portable chafing stand system for providing a chafing stand that is portable and that reduces fuel consumption. The portable chafing stand system includes a pair of end members and a pair of side members attachable to one another. The end members each have a plurality of first slots and a plurality of second slots. The side members each have a plurality of catch members that are received within the first slots and the second slots. The side members preferably have a lower lip for supporting the fuel unit. The end members each include a pair of upper supports for supporting an upper lip of a disposable food tray. The upper edge of the side members supports the floor of the disposable food tray.
What is needed, therefore, is a rugged chafing dish frame which can be compactly stored and transported, but which is of such a design that it is neither bulky nor prone to damage by ordinary rough handling. Additionally needed is a portable collapsible chafing dish frame which folds flatly or compactly to facilitate storage in limited space. Further a rugged portable collapsible chafing dish frame including insulating aspects and with an integrated wind screen and a design which is applicable for elegant formal events is needed for wide adoption of such units by caterers in the field.